DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
This action is in response to the filing made 1/28/2026.
Priority
This action claims the benefit of JP 2021-062276 filed 3/31/2021, and PCT/JP2022/007461 filed 2/24/2022. Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant has elected Group III, directed to claims 20-33, without traverse.
The following claims are withdrawn:
1-19, 34-38.
Claims 20-33 are under examination.
Allowable Subject Matter
The claims will be allowable provided that the 112 rejections are overcome, subject to a new search once the claims are clarified.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 20-33 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 20
Line 7 of the claims claim recites, “first processing circuitry” which is used to detect a “state quantity”. The term “processing circuitry” does not appear in the specification. Further, how does such “circuitry,” without additional structure, such as a sensor, detect anything?
The claim recites, “estimate a remaining refrigerant amount of the refrigerant that remains in the refrigerant circuit by using a detection value of a first feature value . . . . .”. The claim later recites, “determine whether or not the detection value of the first feature value is a detection value that is to be used to estimate the remaining refrigerant amount performed by the estimating.” Why is a determination being made on whether to use the feature value to estimate the refrigerant, after it has already been used to estimate the amount of refrigerant?
The distinction between the “detection value of the first feature value” and the first feature value itself is not clear.
Claim 21
The claim recites, “from among the state quantities”. There is a lack of antecedent basis for “the state quantities”. Parent claim 20 only refers to “a state quantity”.
The distinction between the “second feature value” and the “detection value” (of the second feature value) is not clear.
Claim 24
The claim recites, “the determination model calculates, by adopting the second feature value that is used to generate the determination model as a normal sample value”. This is not clear. If the second feature value is used to “generate” the determination model, then it would appear that it has already been adopted.
Claim 25
The meaning of “estimated by unit estimating” is not clear.
Claim 31
The claim recites, “a refrigerant temperature sensor” that detects the inlet temperature and outlet temperature of the indoor unit. It is not clear how a single sensor detects temperature in both location.
Potentially Allowable Subject Matter
The closest prior art of record is US 2009/0025406 to Yoshimi. Regarding claim 20, Yoshimi teaches an air conditioner that includes a refrigerant circuit that is constituted to have a structure in which at least one indoor unit (4,5, par. 86) is connected to an outdoor unit (2) by a refrigerant pipe and a predetermined amount of refrigerant is filled, the air conditioner comprising:
an first memory (par. 136, in controller 8, par. 136), ; and
first processing circuitry (controller 8), coupled to the first memory and configured to:
detect a state quantity (by any of the sensors in Fig. 2, connected to controller 8) related to control of the air conditioner;
acquire a detection value (sensor readings, see 112 rejection) that has been detected by the detecting;
estimate a remaining refrigerant amount of the refrigerant that remains in the refrigerant circuit by using a detection value of a first feature value in a case where a state quantity related to an amount of the refrigerant that is filled in the refrigerant circuit is indicated by the first feature value; (abstract)
Yoshimi does not teach, determine whether or not the detection value of the first feature value is a detection value that is to be used to estimate the remaining refrigerant amount performed by the estimating.
Claims 21-33 depend from claim 20.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HENRY T CRENSHAW whose telephone number is (571)270-1550. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, JD Fletcher can be reached on 571-270-5054. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/HENRY T CRENSHAW/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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